Arce says Donaire bout will be 'Fight of the Year'

ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines – Mexican brawler Jorge Arce told fans to expect to see the “Fight of the Year” when he clashes with super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire on December 15 in Houston, Texas.

Donaire and Arce will finally face each other on December 15 after years of negotiations.

In an interview with Boxing Scene, both Arce and Donaire emphasized that while they are friends outside the ring, they will be very competitive inside of it.

“Nonito and I are good friends, but unfortunately, this is a business,” Arce said. “Expect the ‘Fight of the Year’ on December 15, and I’m going to win this fight.”

To earn “Fight of the Year” honors, Donaire and Arce will have to put on a better show than Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and Mike Alvarado, who battered each other for over six rounds before Rios won via a seventh-round technical knockout.

Also a potential “Fight of the Year” contender was last Saturday’s war between Robert Guerrero and Andre Berto, which Guerrero won via unanimous decision.

But Arce believes he and Donaire truly have a chance to put on one of the great fights of 2012, especially as they both promise all-out war inside the ring.

“A lot of fighters are intimidated by him (Donaire). They’re scared of getting hit by him,” Arce said. “I’m not afraid, and I love getting hit. I’m going to be right in his face.”

“I have respect for him, but I’m coming right after him,” he added.

For his part, Donaire said “it just comes down to business.”

“We all respect each other, we just talk (expletive). It’s just how it is. We’re good friends and we’re always clowning. At the end of it all, we’re going to give each other a big hug,” he said.

“While we’re in there, we’re going to try to tear each other’s head off – just kill each other,” Donaire added.

The bout with Arce will be Donaire’s fourth fight this year. He previously defeated Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. to win a vacant super bantamweight belt, then went on to defeat Jeffrey Mathebula and Toshiaki Nishioka.